Our Experts

Through its experts, The Asia Foundation presents a range of views on the major political, economic, and security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region.

The views expressed by our experts do not necessarily represent those of The Asia Foundation.

Expert Profile

Jennifer A. Zelnick

2012-2013 Luce Scholar

Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance (KHANA) Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Jennifer Zelnick graduated from Haverford College majoring in Anthropology with a Spanish minor and a Gender and Sexuality Studies concentration in May 2012. She spent the past summer in Jogjakarta and Denpasar, Indonesia, conducting ethnographic research for my thesis on Bali's HIV positive community. Her thesis explored the difference between the government's "master narrative" versus individual experiences of agency for those living with HIV/AIDS. Jennifer thrived in a diverse work environment and learned through collaborative leadership. Furthermore, her work enabled her to explore and challenge the binary of pure academic work versus community involvement. As an avid language learner, Jennifer values the opportunity to communicate with people in their native language (as she does in English, Spanish, and basic Bahasa Indonesia). As an active member of the Haverford community, she seeks to bridge her scholastic and social interests in order to engage positively and enact change. At Haverford she chairs Survivors of Assault and Rape (SOAR), a student-run support group that also focuses on education, outreach, and advocacy. As the leader of SOAR she has gained invaluable experience working with survivors of sexual violence and has come to appreciate issues of social marginalization from a multitude of perspectives. This work has influenced Jennifer's academic pursuits, as is evident in her thesis topic. In the future, she plans to pursue a PhD in Anthropology, focusing specifically on the intersectionality of gender and sexuality, marginality, and agency.